Car door fastener latch plate



Oct. 6, 1964 Filed NOV. 17, 1961 R. J. OLANDER CAR DOOR FASTENER LATCHPLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O o O o O O INV EN TOR.

Kola d J 0 nder %M United States Patent 3,151,898 CAR D0912 FAETENERLATCH PLATE Roland J. @lander, La Grange, Ill., assignor to W. H. Miner,1310., Chicago, 115., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 17, 1961,Ser. No. 152,989 Claims. (Cl. 292-1) This invention relates generally tomeans for holding the swinging operating lever of a rotary bar doorfastener and its associated padlock in position occupying a minimalspace outwardly away from the plane of the door.

Efficient practices of shipping or transporting cargo containers nestledside-by-side within the hold of a ship or on a railroad car require thatsuch containers have maximum interior volume and that they be capable ofbeing handled without time-wasting special handling or stackingprocedures. Container door fasteners of the type employing a rotary barhaving crank arms at the ends thereof engageable with top and bottomkeepers are highly desirable from the standpoint of the security thatthey atford to the contents of the container and the strength that theyimpart to relatively thin-walled containers.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a door fastenerof the rotary bar type having a swingable operating handle, latch meansfor such handle and a pad lock for tamper-proof security, all of whichelements being arranged to occupy a space outwardly of the plane of thedoor less than the outward projection of the rotary bar and itsassociated crank arms and keepers.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a door fastener of thelever actuated rotary bar type, simple and efiicient means for latchingthe actuating lever against rotation in the door opening direction andhaving means maintaining a padlock parallel to the door, such padlocksecuring the operating lever to the latching means.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide in a rotary bardoor fastener, an offset operating lever swingable about the axis ofrotation of the bar to rotate the latter, means for latching the door inclosed position, a latch plate on the door and a cooperating latchmember pivoted on the latch plate for engagement with the operatinglever, both the latch member and the lever having openings therethroughwhich, when aligned, receive the hail of a padlock, and means formaintaining the bail parallel to the plane of the door.

Other objects will, in part, be obvious and, in part, appearhereinafter.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of thisinvention, reference can be had to the fol lowing detailed description,taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a broken elevational view of one of the side walls of acontainer provided with hinged doors, illustrating the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, on an enlarged scale, of themechanism at the central portions of the hinged doors;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view on a still further enlarged scale taken alongsection line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional View taken along section line 44 ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but show 7 ing an alternative ormodified construction;

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are front, side (in section), and top views,respectively, of a latch member.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the side wall of a container provided witha door opening 11, closed by a pair of hinged doors 12 and 13. The door12 is provided with a vertically disposed rotary operating bar 14, ofknown design, having keeper engaging crank members 15, 15 at oppositeends engageable with the usual slotted 3,15L333 Fatenized Oct. 6, 1964keepers 16, 16 to force the door 12 open and closed. The bar 14 issupported for rotation by top, bottom and intermediate bearing bracketsor guide members 17, 13 and 19 fixed to the outer side of the door 12.

The improvement according to this invention cornprises broadly an offsetoperating lever A for rotating the bar 14, a latch plate B fixed to thedoor 13, a latch member C pivoted on the latch plate and a padlock D fortamper-proof securement of the operating lever A to the latch member Cand latch plate B.

The lever A is in the form of an elongated bar pivotally connected atits inner end to the rotatable bar 14 and having a hand grip 20 at itsouter end. The inner end of the lever A is pivoted on pin 21 to abracket 22 secured, as by welding, to the bar 14 whereby lever A mayswing in vertical planes. Inwardly of the hand grip 29 the lever A is ofT-shaped cross section having a head portion 23 extending substantiallyparallel to the plane of the doors and an integral leg portion 24extending outwardly away from the doors and at a right angle to the headportion 23. The T-shaped section merges at its inner end into asubstantially rectangular portion 25 constituting the so-called innerend of lever A. This T-shaped section of the lever provides for theolfset transition of the lever A from a position at the handle grip 20closely spaced to the door to a position at the inner end 25 of thelever spaced further away from the door to thus provide the requisiteclearance of bracket 22 and bar 14 and crank arms 15 necessary forrotation of the bar 14 to open and closed positions.

The latch plate B, as shown in FIGURE 1, is fixed to the outer side ofdoor 13 and in alignment with the lever A in its horizontal operativeposition at right angles to the bar 14. The plate B consists, of a flatbase member 26 adapted to be fixed to the door and at its upper end isprovided with a boss 27 having an opening 28 therethrough for thereception of a headed pin 29 which passes into or through the door 13and serves to secure the plate B in position. Intermediate the boss 27and the other or lower end of the base member 26 is an integral arm 30which extends outwardly from the base member 26 and constitutes a ledgeupon which the lever A may rest in door-locked position. The arm 30includes an upstanding lip 31 which is spaced from the base member 26 adistance slightly greater than the thickness of the head portion 23 andwhich, together with the base member 26, thus forms an open-top pocketfor retaining the lever A in its horizontal door-closed position.

The latch member C shown in FIGURES 1 through 4 and 6 through 8 includesa sleeve portion 32 which has an opening 33 and which pivotally embracesthe boss 27 and is retained in such position by the headed pin 29. Anintermediate section 34 of such latch member extends from the sleeveportion 32 diagonally outwardly and merges into a terminal portion 35which is substantially parallel with and overlies the leg portion 24 ofthe lever A. A reinforcing gusset 36, as shown in FIG- URE 7, may beprovided, if desired, to rigidify and add strength to the intermediatesection 34. Likewise, a rearwardly projecting stop 37 may be provided tolimit rotational movement of the latch member C, such stop 37 abuttingsections of the latch plate at the two extremes of pivotal movement ofthe latch member C as permitted by such stop 37.

The latch member C is provided With a vertically extending opening 38through the terminal portion 35. A similar vertically extending opening39 is provided in the leg portion 24 of the lever A. When openings 38and 39 are in alignment with each other, as when lever A is inclosed-door position with its head portion 23 seated in the pocketbetween lip 31 and base 26 and latch member C is pivoted downwardly tohave its terminal portion 35 adjacent to the leg portion 24, the bail 40of a padlock D may be inserted therethrough and the padlock snapped shutto ensure that the contents of the container to which such door fasteneris affixed will not be subject to tampering.

In FIGURE 4, the latch member is shown as provided with an upstandinglip 41 integral with terminal portion 35. Since padlock D with its bail40 is pulled down by gravity, the lip 41 effectively prevents thepadlock from swinging around, as during handling or movement of thecontainer, to a position at right angles to that shown in the drawings.By use of a padlock with a bail only slightly longer in length than theover-all vertical spacing of the terminal portion 35 and leg 24,positive maintenance of' the padlock in its position parallel to theplane of the doors will be assured.

- ing means and a padlock whereby the padlock is positively preventedfrom swinging on its bail into a position where it would project as muchas or beyond those elements of the-door fastener, such as the slottedkeepers, which of necessity must project to some degree outwardly beyondthe plane of the doors. Such construction aids in the stacking ofcontainers close to each other, particularly when they are being loweredon a cable into the hold of a ship to be nestled against previouslypositioned containers.

Since certain changes can be made in the foregoing construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinbeforeshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a holding means for the operating handle lever of a rotaryoperating bar of a door fastener havingthe operating handle leverconnected to said bar for effecting rotation of the same by swingingmovement of said lever about the axis of rotation of said bar, thecombination with a fixed latch member having an outstanding arm overwhich said lever is engageable; of a pivoted latch member journaled onsaid fixed latch member for rotation about an axis at right angles tosaid lever and to said operating bar; a vertically extending opening insaid lever, a vertically extending opening in said pivoted latch memberand aligned with said lever opening; a padlock having a bail extendingthrough said openings; and means latch member journaled on said fixedlatch member for rotation about an axis at right angles to said leverand to said operating bar; a vertically extending opening in said lever,a vertically extending opening in said pivoted latch member and alignedwith said lever opening; a padlock having a bail extending through saidopenings; and means on one of said latch members for maintaining saidpadlock parallel to said fixed latch member.

3. In a holding means for the operating handle lever of a rotaryoperating bar of a door fastener having the operating handle leverpivotally connected to said bar for effecting rotation of such bar byswinging movement of said lever about the axis of rotation of the bar,the combination with a fixed latch plate; of a pivoted latch memberjournaled on said latch plate for rotation about an axis at right anglesto said lever and to said operating bar; a vertically extending openingin said lever, a vertically extending opening in said latch member andaligned with said lever opening; a padlock having a bail extendingthrough said openings; and an upstanding lip on said latch memberoutwardly of and adjacent to the opening in said latch member formaintaining saidpadlock parallel to said latch plate.

4. In a holding means for the operating handle lever of a rotaryoperating bar of a door fastener having t.e operating handle leverpivotally connected to said bar for effecting rotation of the same byswinging movement of said lever about the axis of rotation of said bar,the combination with a fixed latch plate having an outstanding arm overwhich said lever is engageable; of a pivoted latch member journaled onsaid latch plate for rotation about an axis at right angles to saidlever and to said operating bar; a vertically extending opening in saidlever, a vertically extending opening in said latch member and alignedwith said lever opening, a vertical opening in said outstanding armaligned with the opening in said lever; a padlock having a bailextending through said openings; and a depending lip outwardly of andadjacent to said opening in the outstanding arm for maintaining saidpadlock parallel to said latch plate.

5. In a holding means for the operating handle lever of a rotaryoperating bar of a door fastener having the operating handle leverconnected to said bar for effecting on one ofsaid latch members formaintaining said padan outstanding arm with an upstanding lip forming a6 pocket in which said lever is engageable; of a pivoted rotation of thesame by swinging movement of said lever about the axis of rotation ofsaid bar, the combination with a fixed latch plate having an outstandingarm over which said lever is engageable; of a latch member having asleeve portion journaled on said latch plate for rotation about an axisat right angles to said lever and to said rotary operating bar, anintermediate portion extending from said sleeve portion diagonally awaytherefrom and merging into a terminal portion which is substantiallyparallel to said lever, an opening in said terminal portion, an openingin said lever alignable with said terminal portion opening; a padlockhaving a bail extending through said aligned openings and an ups-tandinglip on said terminal portion maintaining said padlock parallel to saidlatch plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS968,190 Patch Aug. 23, 1910 2,038,876 Sonabend Apr. 28, 1936 2,595,357Haseltine May 6, 1952 2,676,046 Danielson Apr. 20, 19 54

1. IN A HOLDING MEANS FOR THE OPERATING HANDLE LEVER OF A ROTARYOPERATING BAR OF A DOOR FASTENER HAVING THE OPERATING HANDLE LEVERCONNECTED TO SAID BAR FOR EFFECTING ROTATION OF THE SAME BY SWINGINGMOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER ABOUT THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID BAR, THECOMBINATION WITH A FIXED LATCH MEMBER HAVING AN OUTSTANDING ARM OVERWHICH SAID LEVER IS ENGAGEABLE; OF A PIVOTED LATCH MEMBER JOURNALED ONSAID FIXED LATCH MEMBER FOR ROTA-